Animals of Crimea: species and habitats

Crimea is rightly called "little Australia". This peninsula includes three climatic zones at once, therefore many different animals live on its territory.

Crimea has a rather modest area of ​​27 thousand square kilometers, but at the same time 50 salt lakes and 257 rivers are concentrated on it. The Black and Azov seas are washed by mountain and steppe massifs. All of the above factors determined the species diversity of animals, fish, birds and insects that live in the region. There is evidence that in earlier times even ostriches and giraffes lived here, but against the background of climate change, they were replaced by less heat-loving animals.

The fauna of the steppes of Crimea includes white-bellied shrew, gopher, jerboa, hamster, baby fox, foxes and many other representatives of the animal world. Among the birds of these latitudes are found bee-eaters, rollers, bustards, cranes, strepety, steppe loons and eagles.

Steppe viper here can be seen rarely, much more often people meet four-strip snakes and fast lizards. Nest in the steppe world of Crimea herons, mallards, long-nosed crumbs, cranes.

One of the most popular steppe animals - corsac The steppe fox, called Korsak, belongs to the canine family. The body length of the animal is about half a meter, and the tail is up to 35 cm. The weight of an adult individual is no more than that of a large cat.

The coat of the corsac has a gray-yellow shade with redhead, while the bottom of the fur is lighter, and the tip of the fox's tail is darkened. Pursuing prey, Corsac develops speed up to 60 km per hour. He is not averse to eat rodents, birds, not squeamish and carrion.

In the foothills of the Crimea there are wolves, squirrels, but here you will not meet many of the usual inhabitants of Russian forests. But these lands are inhabited by representatives of various Balkan, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and endemic species.

The rich fauna is represented on the northern slopes of Yayly, on the territory of the Crimean Natural Reserve. Specially protected natural area inhabited Crimean deer, Crimean chamois, wood and stone marten. Local animals are distinguished by unique features. For example, they go in their "summer" coat all year round.

We will tell about some interesting inhabitants of the foothills of the Crimea in more detail.

• Belodushka. The second name of the stone marten is beluga. She is so named because of the white fur on the chest and the dick. Slender and nimble, she easily sneaks into the chicken coops, but can also eat berries.

• Noble deer. He is considered the pride of the Crimea. The head of this forest beast is decorated with luxurious horns that increase with age. Herds of deer can be heard in a characteristic roar that spreads through the forest. In winter, they come closer to the gardens to find food there.

• Mouflon This is the name of the mountain sheep, which took root in this region in tsarist times. His horns have the shape of a spiral, the weight can reach two centners. Acclimatization of this beautiful animal was not without difficulties, so the mouflon belongs to the protected species.In summer, they hide from the heat in the shady rocks and go out to eat herbs only in the evening, and in winter, due to lack of food, they are chosen closer to human homes.

• Roe deer. In the course of the active settlement of people, these animals were pushed further into the mountains. They do not have tools to protect against predators in the form of horns, but nature has endowed these graceful animals with a very good ear. It allows roe deer to hear the enemy from afar.

• Fallow deer. Rarely appears in the foothills of the peninsula. Brisk, quirky and very beautiful animals hardly adapt to the conditions of the Crimea. It is not yet possible to substantially increase the population of these artiodactyls, but local residents are trying to protect the animal from the encroachments of poachers.

The south coast is replete with reptiles and invertebrates.

• Crimean gecko. These nimble creatures like to live in old buildings, where for them there are always deep cracks and various tunnels. For this reason, in former times, they lived in old houses and courtyards.

They saved people from hordes of insects and thereby rendered service to man. But today in the cities their population has declined. The reason was the active development of the territories, as well as the attacks of cats who are not averse to eat these cute lizards.

• Mantis. It got its name from the raised front paws. Of course, these creatures hold their limbs in such a position not at all to offer prayer. They just spend a lot of time in ambush, meticulously tracking down prey, and from such a posture it is easier for them to attack it. The praying mantis grows up to 5 centimeters, so sometimes they enter into a fight with sparrows.
• Crimean ground beetle. This protected inhabitant of the Crimea has a purple color, which is poured in different colors. It is better not to touch it, otherwise the five-centimeter beetle will allocate a frightening secret. The prey ground beetles are mollusks and snails.

Among the feathered inhabitants of the coast are birds such as herons, mallards, cranes. In total there are more than 200 species of birds of Crimea, however, among them there are no unique, living only in this region.

In the numerous water bodies of the peninsula, over two hundred fish live, with a quarter of them periodically visiting the waters of the Crimea from the Bosphorus. Very much in the region frogs, toads and tritons. The poisonous snake lives here only one - this steppe viper. Lives in ponds and swamp turtle.

The fingers of this animal are equipped with membranes, allowing it to swim better, and the size of the shell usually does not exceed 15 cm in diameter. Turtles are diurnal - They sleep until dawn, and then begin to hunt for small fish. Also, these animals are not averse to taste plant foods. They spend the winter digging into the mud.

In addition to animals that can not harm humans, there are also rather dangerous creatures living in Crimea, it is better to avoid encounters with them.

This dangerous species is found not only in the steppes and forests, sometimes it can be seen in urban areas. The bite of a black widow female can be fatal. If it has occurred, then you need to burn it with a match head or a hot object on the fire and immediately go to the doctor. If help is delayed, severe body aches, trembling hands and feet, and dizziness begin, hallucinations occur as a result of damage to the nervous system.

Ringed scolopendra is not as dangerous as black widows, but their bite can cause serious discomfort. A bite is able to knock out a rut for several days, all this time the victim feels fever, aching muscles, and the bite site itself can hurt for a long time. Scolopendra lives on the peninsula everywhere, besides it is very agile - suddenly appears and disappears just as suddenly.

Its habitat is wide: mountains, steppes, salt marshes, vineyards, sandy roads. She, like karakurt, is capable of killing with her bite. After it, there is an increase in pulse rate, dizziness, nausea, the appearance of blood in the urine.

The poison can be sucked out, every time rinsing the mouth with water or a solution of potassium permanganate, at the same time there should be no wounds in the mouth, otherwise the poison will penetrate into the body of the rescuer. Next, the wound disinfection is done, a bandage is applied, but not a tourniquet.

Mountains and steppes are the favorite places of tarantulas. Allergy sufferers are most at risk when meeting with him, for everyone else he is less dangerous. The signs of this spider's bite are about the same as in the case of the black widow. Place the bite need to cauterize Zelenko, also need to consult a doctor.

A large and dangerous predatory animal once was exterminated on the territory of this region, but after years it has again settled in its forests. The habitat of wild boars is the mountainous areas where oaks and beeches grow, because they are not averse to eat vegetable food. They avoid encounters with people, but if a collision occurs, the boar is able to show strong aggression towards a stranger.

Killed by people from the inhabited territories, he did not begin to go too far, but began to settle right in the houses, more precisely, in their darkest and dampest rooms. Its prey is often spiders, scolopendras, praying mantises, therefore scorpions to some extent help people fight dangerous insects.

They are nocturnal, so the day meeting with them is unlikely. Symptoms of a bite are similar to the reaction to the bites of other poisonous inhabitants of the Crimea: shortness of breath, pressure jumps, chills or fever, dizziness.

Under protection are both unusual and interesting animals of the Crimea, and well-known Arctic fox, wolverine, beaver, marmot, bear, steppe polecat, because their populations in the region are small. The only mouflons for many thousands of kilometers, including Eastern Europe, live in the Crimea. They went even from individuals that lived in the royal nursery, and therefore represent a special value.

Serpentine yellowtopuzik It has a body that is a meter long or a bit longer, it often scares people, as it resembles a viper. Representative spindles completely harmless, if not scare him specifically.

Monk seal which is also called the white-bellied seal is on the verge of extinction According to scientists, the population of this rare animal has no more than 600 individuals in the world. The seal received such an unusual name because of its solitary lifestyle, and its head is decorated with a kind of short fur. Two-meter-long sea animals can reach a weight of three centners, however they are able to dive quite deeply and return with prey.

Red Dolphins Bottlenose Dolphins reach speeds of up to 40 km / h. They have a friendly character and are able to cover very long distances. These mammals have been protected since 1956.

These include rare species that exist only in the Crimea. We have already spoken about the scorpion above, it lives on the lands of the peninsula since ancient times. Consider other unique views of the region.

• Retovsky's tree lover. The scientist Otto Retovsky discovered this species. The green color allows the insect to go unnoticed in the grass thickets.Most often, such a rare grasshopper can be seen near Alushta or Alupka.
• Black Sea marigold. These beautiful butterflies are often found in Yalta and its surroundings. Brown coloring helps them to hide on the stones, so not everyone can see this beauty.

Going on a trip to the Crimea, remember that along with the beautiful and friendly representatives of the fauna of the peninsula, there are not unseemly species. But no matter how dangerous they are to humans, each of these species is part of an ecosystem that does not need to be disturbed.

All about the animals of Crimea, see the video below.